Africa-China Solidarity Indispensable to Defeat COVID-19: FM Gedu

Addis Ababa, June 19/2020 (ENA) Minister of the Foreign Affairs, Gedu Andargachew called for solidarity between Africa and China to overcome the socio-economic challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and to chart out a better way forward.

The Minister made the remarks at the High-Level Video Conference on Belt and Road International Cooperation held on Thursday under the theme, "Belt and Road International Cooperation: Combating COVID-19 with Solidarity".

According to the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs, State Councilor and Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, chaired the meeting and WHO Director-General, Tewodros Adhanom, senior officials from the United Nations, foreign ministers and ministerial-level officials from several countries attended the conference.

During the discussion, Gedu appreciated China for successfully curbing the spread of the virus and thanked the Chinese government and the private sector, including Jack Ma Foundation, for their unyielding support to Ethiopia’s fight against the scourge.

The minister has also expressed his hope that the conference would create opportunities for concerted efforts in containing, mitigating and defeating the global threat, noting how the pandemic slammed developing countries.   

The Minister further called on the Chinese government to continue its support to Ethiopia in order to help sustain the hard-won economic gains, accelerate the ongoing reforms, and withstand economic shocks in the post-COVID-19 period.